Panelboard having multibladed contacts



Nov. 19 1968 K. J. STOKES 3,412,291

PANELBOARD HAVING MULTIBLADED CONTACTS Filed Dec. 22, 1966 INVENTOR KENNETH J. STOKES BY if MICW-7 ATTORNEY I United States Patent 3,412,291 PANELBOARD HAVING MULTIBLADED CONTACTS Kenneth J. Stokes, Wethersfield, Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 22, 1966, Ser. No. 603,994 2 Claims. (Cl. 317119) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An electrical circuit control device panel assembly comprising a support having bus bars and a plurality of equally spaced multipart stationary contact members supported thereon each of the contacts being connected to one of the bus bars; each stationary contact includes a central blade-like portion and a pair of integral blade-like portions spaced therefrom at either side and extending parallel to the main portion; the panel assembly also includes two types of circuit breakers, one of which has a width or thickness substantially equal to one-half the space between adjacent stationary contacts and plugs onto one of the side portions of the stationary contact assemblies and the other of which has a width or thickness substantially equal to the spacing between adjacent stationary contact assemblies and plugs onto the central portion of the stationary contact assembly; the wider module breaker has a casing having recesses or clearances at each side of the socket member to permit assembly of the breaker on the central portion of the contact assembly Without interference by the side portions whereby each stationary contact assembly may receive half-module control devices or full-module control devices selectively.

My invention relates to electric control device panel assemblies and particularly to such panel assemblies designed to receive electric control devices of a basic module width and other control devices of substantially one-half such width.

Plug-in type circuit breakers of two basic modular widths, i.e., 1" and /2" are in wide use today. It is highly desirable to have a panelboard which can easily receive both types of breakers and in which /2 breakers can be used to provide 2-pole circuit breakers.

It is an object of my invention to provide a circuit breaker panelboard having contacts which are able to be engaged by suitable circuit breakers of a predetermined width or circuit breakers of one half the predetermined width.

Another object of my invention is to provide a circuit breaker panelboard having contact members such that a circuit breaker of a predetermined width or twice as many circuit breakers of one half the predetermined width may be received on a contact member without modification of the contact member, and in which circuit breakers of one-half modular width can be used as 2-pole circuit breakers.

To fulfill the objects of my invention, a circuit breaker panelboard is provided having a plurality of contacts thereon, respectively connected to each of a plurality of bus bars which are adapted to be connected to an electrical power source. Each of the contact members has a plurality of parallel blade portions comprising a central blade portion and a pair of side blade portions. A circuit breaker of a predetermined width can be received upon the center blade portion of each contact member without interference from the side blade portions. Also, a circuit breaker of one half the predetermined Width can be received on one of the side blade portions without interference from other blade portions. Thus a plurality of circuit breakers of one-half the predetermined width can be received on each of the contacts. Also, adjacent onehalf module breakers which are mounted on different contacts can be interconnected to provide 2-pole breakers.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation view of a circuit breaker panelboard incorporating my invention, the front cover thereof being partially broken away;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing two contacts utilized in the panelboard of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing different types of circuit breakers engaging the contacts of the panelboard of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view showing two onehalf module breakers connected to provide a 2-pole breaker.

FIGURE 1 shows my invention as incorporated in a circuit breaker panelboard including an outer enclosure 2 having a front cover plate 4 retained there-on by suitable means such as screws 6. Also included is a circuit breaker supporting pan 8 resiliently supported by arcuate strip springs 10. The pan 8 serves to support a suitable bus bar assembly including a body of insulating material 12 having embedded therein three elongated and generally parallel bus bars 14, 16, 18. The bus bars 14, 16, 18 have portions thereof projecting from theinsulating body at one end carrying line connecting terminals 20, 22, and 24, respectively. Each of the bus bars 14, 16, 18 has attached thereto along its length a plurality of blade-type contacts 26. The contacts 26 are arranged in substantial alignment generally centrally of the insulating body 12 above the central bus bar 16.

The panelboard further includes a number of electric circuit breakers 28, the casing of each of which is retained by a hook-on type of engagement on the supporting pan 8 by retaining hooks 30. A corner of each of the circuit breakers 28, opposite from the corner engaged under the hooks 30, is provided with a blade-receiving socket clip in a conforming recess within the insulating casing of the circuit breaker 28.

In FIGURE 2 the specific arrangement of the multibladed contacts 26 which allow reception of diiferent sizes circuit breakers is shown. Blade portions 32, 34, 36 of a contact 26, when taken together, have a substantially W- shaped cross-section. The side blade legs 34, 36 are substantially parallel to the center leg 32 and rigidly attached thereto. All three leg portions are approximately of the same thickness. The spacing between the center leg 32 and either side leg 34, 36 is approximately one quarter of a single modular width. Therefore if a modular width is one inch, the spacing will be one quarter inch.

In FIGURE 3 three different circuit breaker engagement arrangements are shown between circuit breakers and contacts 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d, 26s. A single modular width (such as one inch) circuit breaker 38 is shown engaged upon the contact 26a. The center contact leg 32 of the contact 26a fits within a central slot 40 in the circuit breaker 38, while the side contact legs 34, 36 fit within corresponding side slots 42, 44 in the circuit breaker 38. A socket clip 46 within the central slot 40 resiliently engages the center leg 32 so as to provide electrical contact between the circuit breaker 38 and the electrical power source via the contact 26a and a bus bar, such as 16.

Circuit breakers 48, 50 of one half the modular width (such as one-half inch) can also engage one of the contacts 26c. A side contact leg 36 is engaged within a central slot 52 of the circuit breaker '50. A suitable socket clip 58 is disposed Within the central slot 52 so as to resiliently engage the leg portion 36 of the contact 260 to provide electrical contact therewith. Side cut out portions 54, 56 are provided on both sides of the circuit breaker 50 so that no matter which of the side legs 34, 36 the onehalf modular width circuit breaker 48 or 50 engages, the central contact leg 32 will not be an interference. Two one-half modular width circuit breakers 48, 50 can therefore engage a single contact 260 by having each of the circuit breakers 48, 50 engage one of the side legs 34, 36.

An alternate single modular width circuit breaker construction 60 known as a duplex or 2-in-1 breaker, containing two one-half module circuit breakers, can be used to engage a contact 26a. The central leg 32 is engaged Within a central slot 62 in the circuit breaker 60. A socket clip 64 is disposed within the slot 62 so as to provide resilient engagement between the contact 26a and the circuit breaker 60, and is connected to both of the one-half module breakers included in the casing.

In any of the configurations shown in FIGURE 3, the circuit breakers are received on only one half the length of the leg portions so that a longitudinally aligned, opposed breaker or breakers may engage the other half of the contact legs, as is shown in FIGURE 1.

Referring to FIGURE 4, it is an important feature of the present invention that a two-pole breaker 70 is provided, comprising two one-half-inch module circuit breakers preassembled in side-by-side relation, with handles ganged together and provided with means for common tripping. This breaker makes contact with one side contact member 36F of one contact such as 26F and one side contact 346 of an adjacent contact 26G. Since the contacts 26F and 26G are of different polarity, a 2-pole circuit of double voltage, such as 240 volts on a l-volt system can be provided.

While I have disclosed only specific embodiments of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications thereof may be made and I, therefore, intend by the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An electric circuit control device panel assembly comprising:

(a) a support;

(b) at least two elongated electrical bus bars supported in substantially parallel insulated relation on said support;

(c) a plurality of stationary electric contacts supported on said support in substantially equally spaced relation in alignment in a row substantially parallel to said bus bars;

(d) means electrically connecting each of said contacts to a selected one of said bus bars;

(e) each of said stationary contacts comprising a central blade-like portion extending at right angles to said bus bars and a pair of auxiliary blade-like side portions integrally connected to said central portion at each side thereof in spaced relation to said central portion and extending substantially parallel thereto;

(f) at least one first electric circuit control device supported on said support and including a socket memher in electrical plug-in engagement with said central portion of one of said stationary contacts, said first control device having a widthwise dimension in the direction of said bus bars substantially equal to the spacing between said central blade portions;

g) at least one second electric circuit control device supported on said support and having a widthwise dimension in the direction of said bus bars substantially one-half said spacing between said central blade portions, said second control device including a socket member in electrical plug-in engagement with one of said side portions of one of said stationary contacts;

(h) said socket member of said first control device being positioned adjacent one end of said device and substantially midway between the sides thereof and said first control device including an insulating casing having a pair of equally spaced recesses therein on opposite sides of said socket member and providing clearance for said side portions of said contact member when said first control device is in mounted position.

2. An electric circuit control device panel assembly as set forth in claim 1, said panel assembly comprising an assembly of two of said second circuit control devices, said second control devices being attached together in side-by-side relation and having a common handle operating means providing a two-pole circuit control device, said two-pole circuit control device being mounted on said support and including two electrical socket members each in contact with a side contact portion of a different one of said contact members, said contact members contacted be said two-pole circuit control device each being connected to a different one of said bus bars.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,738,446 3/1956 Fleming 317--119 3,054,025 9/ 1962 Edmunds 317119 3,263,132 8/ 1966 Bangert 317-119 ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Primary Examiner.

M. GINSBURG, Assistant Examiner. 

